Argo is the longest passenger cable car in Georgia: about 2.6 km of track and a ten-minute ride from the port up Anuria hill, some 250 meters above the sea. The reward is the best panorama in the city: all of Batumi, the port, the arc of the coastline and the mountains behind. Running since 2013, open every day, and the enclosed cabins ride in the rain too. Below are the current prices from the official site, the opening hours, an honest look at the queues and a hack for getting up cheaper.
Table of contents
Ticket prices
The regular round-trip ticket costs the same for everyone: 39 GEL for adults (12+) and 9 GEL for children aged 5-11. The combo tickets with the top-station attractions, however, are priced differently for foreign visitors and Georgian citizens - here is the table so you do not get confused:
| Ticket | Foreign visitors: adult / kids 5-11 | Georgian citizens: adult / kids 5-11 |
|---|---|---|
| Cable car round trip | 39 / 9 GEL | 39 / 9 GEL |
| Cable car + JoyRoom | 49 / 19 GEL | 39 / 19 GEL |
| Cable car + digital museum | 65 / 35 GEL | 49 / 29 GEL |
| Cable car + museum + JoyRoom | 75 / 45 GEL | 59 / 39 GEL |
| VIP Combo: all of the above + skip-the-line, dessert and drinks | 490 GEL | |
Prices were verified on the official site argo-batumi.ge in August 2026 - check there before your visit, the cable car runs combo discounts from time to time.
Opening hours and queues
The cable car runs daily from 11:00 to midnight, with no days off and no breaks. The only thing that stops the cabins is storm wind: the ride closes for safety in such hours, so double-check the forecast on a properly foul day.
Queues are the main catch of high season: in July and August the wait at the bottom is 10-30 minutes, longest around sunset. The radical fix is the VIP skip-the-line ticket, but at 490 GEL it is for special occasions; the practical options are coming on a weekday afternoon or the hack from the section below.
What's at the top
The top station is a small entertainment cluster around the observation deck. Besides the panorama there is a digital museum and the JoyRoom entertainment room (the same ones from the combo tickets), a restaurant with a cafe and bar, a wine corner with tastings and souvenir stalls - you can build a whole evening without going back down.
The grounds are built for an unhurried stroll: photo zones, benches facing the city, a boat-shaped fountain and the observation deck's unexpected neighbor - the church of St. John the Baptist. In season, at 19:00, Adjarian dancers in national costume perform on the deck: time your visit and you get a concert on top of the panorama.
And the panorama itself earns the trip: all of Batumi with its towers laid out below, the cargo port with its cranes, the line of beaches stretching to Gonio and the green ridges of Adjara behind.
How to get there and the taxi hack
The lower station stands in the center, by the port: 1 Baku St, Batumi, coordinates 41.647587, 41.645363 - a 10-15 minute walk from Piazza Square or the seafront. No special trip needed: the cable car is naturally part of an old-town walk.
If you are driving: parking by the station itself is difficult, the nearest paid lot is on Tbilisi Square, coordinates 41.646284, 41.641940. From there it is about a five-minute walk to the lower station through the old town.
First, the change that kills the old tourist hack: there is now a turnstile with a terminal at the boarding entrance, and the ticket is scanned on the way down as well. Taking a taxi up and riding down for free no longer works.
The simple arithmetic still stands, though: a regular road leads to the top station, and a taxi costs about 10 GEL per car one way, about 20 GEL both ways - against 39 GEL per person on the cable car. For a family or a group the difference is multiplied: four people go up and back for 20 GEL instead of 156 GEL in tickets. The road is a single-lane paved serpentine: passing an oncoming car is possible but tight, so stay alert behind the wheel of your own or a rented car. There is a free parking lot by the top station, coordinates 41.625488, 41.656560.
The middle option between a taxi and the full program is a transfer with waiting via GoTrip: the car takes you up, the driver waits while you enjoy the deck, and brings you back to the city. The trip costs about 80 GEL - available cars with prices and ratings below:
When to go up for the best views
Light decides everything. Before 14-15 o'clock the sun lights up the city and the sea - the best window for photos; later in the day you shoot against the light. The second strong window is sunset and the first hour of darkness, when the city switches on: the lit towers, the Ferris wheel, the glowing arc of the seafront. The day and night views are practically two different observation decks - compare for yourself:
To be honest: the line itself passes over residential blocks, and people come primarily for the summit panorama - though ten minutes in a cabin fifty meters up is an attraction in its own right, especially for kids. What is not worth it is going up in thick cloud: the deck ends up inside the cloud and there is nothing to see - for a day like that, try our guide on where to go in Batumi in the rain.
What to see nearby
The lower station is surrounded by the highlights of old Batumi, so the ride slots easily into a walking route. Five minutes away is the moving Ali and Nino statue by the port; a little further are Piazza Square with its Italian mosaics and Europe Square with the Medea statue. And ten minutes away, in the 6 May Park, hides a free mini zoo - one of the spots from our guide to unusual places in Batumi.
The cable car and city tours
The ride is not included in tour programs - visitors go up on their own, and the station's central location makes that easy. The cable car is, however, a popular meeting point for walking city tours: a landmark every taxi driver knows. The easiest way to combine the ride with a city walk:
If you are building your own program - the cable car has its slot in the "Batumi from above" route of our what to see in Batumi in 1 day guide, its neighbors from the city’s essential list are collected in the top 20 attractions of Batumi, and all the trips to the mountains and around the region are in the Batumi tours catalog.
Where to stay in Batumi
The cable car, the port and the old town make the most convenient base for a car-free stay: everything that matters is within walking distance. Ready-made picks by budget are here - 5-star hotels, 10 best hotels in the city, budget hotels and hostels.
The full range is easiest to browse on Booking.com: most options can be booked without prepayment.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the cable car in Batumi?
A round-trip ticket is 39 GEL for adults and 9 GEL for children aged 5-11, the same price for tourists and locals. Combos with the digital museum and JoyRoom cost foreign visitors from 49 to 75 GEL, less for Georgian citizens.
What are the Argo cable car's opening hours?
Daily from 11:00 to 00:00, no days off and no breaks. The ride up takes about ten minutes, and the line only closes in storm wind.
How do I avoid the queue for the cable car?
In season the wait to board is 10-30 minutes, longest around sunset. Come on a weekday afternoon or take the VIP skip-the-line ticket. The radical option is going up and down by taxi: about 20 GEL per car both ways and no queues at all.
What is at the top station?
An observation deck with a panorama of the city and the sea, a digital museum, the JoyRoom entertainment room, a restaurant, a wine corner and a souvenir shop. You can spend a whole evening at the top.
Can I drive up to the observation deck?
Yes, a paved serpentine road leads to the top station, with a free parking lot by the station (coordinates 41.625488, 41.656560). The road is single-lane - passing an oncoming car is possible but tight. A taxi costs about 20 GEL per car both ways, and you cannot ride the cable car down without a ticket: there is a turnstile at the entrance.
Is it worth going up with children?
Yes, kids love the ride: an enclosed cabin up to 50 meters above the ground, with the JoyRoom and the museum from the kids' combo tickets at the top. A child ticket for ages 5-11 costs 9 GEL, combos from 19 GEL.